Remains Of 33 Korean War Dead Returned

December 15, 1993|The Baltimore Sun

PANMUNJOM, Korea — A picture of a woman with a boy in the background, a safety razor, four buttons, a camouflage net.

These were part of a short list of small items, carried to the grave by 33 servicemen who fought and died under the United Nations flag four decades ago during the Korean War. The possessions and the bodily remains were finally returned Tuesday, in a quiet ceremony at Panmunjom, in the demilitarized nether world meeting place between North and South Korea.

On North Korea's side each casket was opened, an inventory read, and then the casket was reclosed. The coffins were then lifted by four North Korean soldiers and carried to the thin concrete strip separating their country from the rest of the world. On the other side, four soldiers stood waiting, one each from the United States, Thailand, the Philippines and Korea, representing the joint U.N. forces that fought in the Korean War.

"Those fallen patriots whom we receive back to freedom gave life for liberty," said U.S. Army chaplain Major James Himmelsbach in a brief service. "May they be at rest as they journey back to their families."

Since the Korean War ended in 1953, the United States and more than a dozen other countries that jointly took part in the conflict, have petitioned the North for these remains with little success.

Tuesday's precise, quiet service, however, was the third in two weeks, representing a small, symbolic concession by the North at a time when many figures in the Clinton administration have voiced concern over the resumption of hostilities in a war that stopped but never ended.

In an unusual moment, a senior North Korean officer approached a Western reporter on the northern side of the demilitarized zone and asked in good English, "How does the United States feel about the repatriation of the remains?'' "I'm sure the United States is grateful, but I do not speak for the United States," the reporter replied.

"This is thanks to the generosity of our Supreme Commander and Dear Leader," he said, referring to Kim Jung il, commander of the North Korean military and his father, North Korean President Kim il Sung. "We hope for a positive reaction from the U.S. military."

The officer, taller than most of the other Koreans, dressed in a long green overcoat, was asked his name. "Lt. Col Ri," he said. No first name. "They just call me Lt. Col Ri."

North Korean officers don't usually talk to the Western press.

U.S. Army Colonel Forrest S. Chilton IV, who accepted the remains on behalf of the United Nations forces, said after the service, "What was done here today was a humanitarian gesture and a peaceful gesture."

The U.S. military believes that North Korea should have good information on the remains of at least 2,233 deceased soldiers who fought under the U.N. flag, including 389 Americans. Since the recent repatriation of remains began slowly in 1990, 160 have been returned. Ri said the North Korean army was trying to get information on others, but was not sure if it could. Other reports predict more repatriation by Christmas.